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Emmanuel de Graffenried
|birthplace = Paris, France |death date = |placeofdeath =Lonay, Switzerland |nationality = |status =Deceased |firstrace =1950 British Grand Prix |lastrace =1956 Italian Grand Prix }} Baron Emmanuel "Toulo" de Graffenried ( , born 18 May 1914 in Paris, Île-de-France, France – died 22 January 2007 in Lonay, Morges, Vaud, Switzerland) was a Swiss Grand Prix driver who took part in World Championship races from its inception in 1950 to the Italian Grand Prix of 1956. Winner of the 1949 British Grand Prix, Toulo was usually a privateer but earned a factory drive in the 1951 season. After his retirement from competition, Toulo was ever present in the paddock as a sporting ambassador for Marlboro until the 1980's. Toulo took part at the 1998 British Grand Prix in their 50th Anniversary celebrations, driving an early Grand Prix car on a parade lap of the circuit. Before the Formula 1 World Championship De Graffenried's racing career began in 1936 in is native Switzerland, driving a Type 6C and a 3 Litre with some of his more memorable results coming at Bremgarten, his home track near Bern of which he would come a bit of a specialist. Immediately after the war Toulo rose to prominence creating Team Autosport with former driver Christian Kautz, driving their new four cylinder Maserati to 5th at the . By 1947 Toulo was racing harder and achieved second behind Nino Farina at Geneva and third at Monaco, again behind Farina and Monaco specialist Louis Chiron but his season was overshadowed by the death of Kautz at Bremgarten. It was in 1949 that the dapper, trim profile of "Toulo" would achieve his greatest success, taking victory in the British Grand Prix held at Silverstone in a Maserati San Remo 4CLT, backing up strong second place finishes at Pau, Zandvoort, Sweden and Jersey. Formula One Career 1950 During Toulo continued to race the San Remo 4CLT that he enjoyed much success with in 1949. The Baron raced his Maserati alongside follow nobleman Prince Bira under the Enrico Plate banner. Toulo was the second highest quaifying Maserati of the 8 entered in the season starting , placed 8th on the grid, Bira 5th, both out pacing the factory cars but his race was cut short with a lap 36 retirement with engine trouble. Onto round two and Toulo was involved in the first lap crash that accounted for ten cars at Monaco when the field entered the Tabac corner for the first time to find it flooded by a tidal wave and retired immediately as his teammate Bira collected two world championship points. The next round that Enrico Plate took part in was the and Toulo finished at his home race on the same lap as his teammate Bira and fellow Maserati entrant Felice Bonetto but sadly behind the two in sixth with Bira now on five points. The team missed the Belgian and 's but returned for the season ending . With the now ageing Maserati and an increase of entrees from and points were going to be a long shot, but in a race of high attrition Toulo finished a creditable sixth for the second race in succession, all be it one place outside the points again. Formula One Statistical Overview Formula One Record Career Statistics Career Results | ||6th|||6th|0|NC}} ||| || | |6th|2|16th}} |19th||| |0|NC}} | |7th| | | | |7|8th}} |0|NC}} Notes Category:Swiss Drivers Category:1914 births Category:2007 deaths Category:1950 Début Drivers Category:Maserati Drivers Category:Alfa Romeo Drivers Category:Enrico Platé Drivers Category:Scuderia Centro Sud Drivers Category:Emmanuel de Graffenried